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Saturday, August 05, 2006

Mini Summer Alphabet Sampler

Another quick project! I still need to add a little birdhouse charm in between the X and the Y. I have been a bit hesitant about it. I'm not really one for either charms or beading, but the charm was included in the kit, so I'll probably sew it on after I press the project in preparation for framing.

This was one of my first experiences using overdyed embroidery floss. I have mixed feelings. I hadn't realized that it's best to do each stitch individually with this type of floss. I usually do the Danish method of zipping all the way across rows and coming back. I like how the stitches look when I do that, and I think that my thread tension is more consistent.

In retrospect I realize that I used overdyed embroidery floss on a couple small projects that I stitched about 15 years ago. I don't think that the floss colors varied as widely in that case, though.

I bought this at Everything Cross-Stitch in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I happened upon this store with a good friend who's also a stitcher, and we spent a WONDERFUL couple hours browsing in there. I don't have many friends who stitch, so it was a real treat to have some companionship.

I bought this little project right before embarking on an intense, 3-week long teaching stint. It was very relaxing to work on it after a long day when the teenagers were driving me nuts. I usually teach Latin and Greek to college students, so I'm not as used to high school students and the chaperoning/disciplining aspects of education. It was a good experience, though, and the kids were bright and very excited to be learning more Latin.